June 2013

£13m Preston development gets green light

An ambitious £13m plan to regenerate Preston’s Friargate area has been given the go-ahead by city planners. Work will now start by the end of the year to transform run down shops and buildings on the historic city centre street into modern retail units and boutique accommodation for students at the University of Central Lancashire.

Friargate regeneration gets green light

Consent has been given for a £13m mixed-use regeneration scheme on Friargate in Preston. Developer Portergate’s plans include shops and a total of 261 student bedrooms, including six one-bedroom studios, in 62 clusters.

Green light for £13m Friargate development

Plans for a multimillion-pound development in the Friargate retail area of Preston city centre have been given the green light. Work is expected to start on the £13m project by the end 2013 to turn run down shops and buildings into retail units and accommodation for the University of Central Lancashire.

Portergate Gains Planning Permission for Preston

Portergate Property Management welcomed the news this week that Preston City Council planning committee has approved plans for the £13million development of the Friargate area of Preston city centre.

The mixed use regeneration site will bring two new retail premises and the creation of a 261 bedroomed student accommodation facility. The innovative apartments have been designed by Manchester architects Leach Rhodes Walker. The range of 1, 2 and 3 bedroomed units are aimed particularly at post graduate students at the University of Central Lancashire and for apprentices working in Preston’s high-tech manufacturing sector and new Enterprise Zone.

The development of Friargate is an important step in the regeneration of Preston city centre. It is hoped that the investment by Portergate Property Management will encourage more businesses to recognise the potential of the city, the university and local enterprise.

The aesthetically pleasing shop and apartment complex are designed around open garden areas while being conveniently in the heart of the city, only a short walk from UCLAN. Construction work on the site can now go ahead on schedule and the apartments will be ready for the first residents in September 2014.

Portergate Property Management are one of the leading lights in the development of purpose-built student accommodation in the North West of England. The Friargate project builds on successes like the new Riverside development on the banks of the Irwell which opens to students at Salford University later this year.

Interest in the Friargate project has been widespread with positive coverage in news and business media across the region.